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Logistics of an online store. What to look for when choosing a carrier?
'We are facing a hot period in e-commerce. Black Friday, Cyber Monday, free delivery day and the Christmas and New Year season are times of huge growth and record-breaking results. Check how to plan the logistics of your online store and what to pay attention to when choosing a carrier.
According to the study "UPS Smart e-commerce 2021" conducted by UPS, one of IdoSell's logistics partners, as many as 85 percent of respondents believe that the reliability of the supplier who will fulfill the order influences the purchasing decision. What should you pay attention to when choosing a shipping company? We suggest!
Timeliness and delivery time
It is best if you can offer the customer several forms of delivery:
- express delivery - an option for the most demanding customers. This service is often covered by a delivery time guarantee
- Standard delivery - the customer expects delivery to the address but the delivery is not particularly urgent.
- Delivery to a point - is an ideal compromise between price and convenience. The costs of delivery are relatively low and the recipient decides himself when to collect his parcel from the point. This form of delivery is particularly appreciated by customers who pay attention to sustainability and environmental protection issues.
Safety of goods and packaging
The fact that the parcel is delivered on time is only half the battle. The condition of the goods and whether they have been damaged in transit is also important. Before choosing a courier company you should find out about the percentage of damaged parcels and find out about parcel insurance.
Automation and notifications
It is very important that parcel status notifications reach the recipient in accordance with the actual status. Your shop's logistics partner should have scanning devices that are constantly connected to the network and send current information. This allows the recipient to manage his delivery and make any changes to the delivery.
Returns
Fast, efficient and easy handling of returns is also important to meet customer expectations, control costs and speed up possible product recalls. Free returns, as the UPS study points out, is a particularly important issue for customers over 55.
Shipping outside the EU
Shipping goods abroad, including outside the European Union, is a common practice in Polish e-commerce. For the seller, it means the need to prepare relevant documents and report the shipment to the Customs Office. In order to eliminate unnecessary paper documents and speed up the customs clearance process, use carriers who offer an electronic flow of customs documents. As a result, your parcel will reach the recipient faster and the work of customs agents on both sides of the border will be reduced to a minimum.
At IdoSell we offer our sellers the IdoSell Broker service, i.e. cheap courier services, without signing a contract. IdoSell Broker is a secure service that gives you full freedom to manage delivery methods in your online shop. It will allow you to design an effective logistics strategy tailored to your business.
IdoSell is integrated with many couriers. Our clients can decide on the type and form of cooperation themselves, depending on their needs. Check for a list of all integrations and available carriers in IdoSell shops.
The text was created in cooperation with UPS, IdoSell's logistics partner.
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